The Following review was contributed by: John Walsh

Hank Rousseau, Country Director for an unnamed charity in an unnamed African country, must cope with not just the usual chaos of overseas aid projects but conniving and unbalanced agency workers, witchcraft, revolution and murder. He is reluctantly drawn into the role of aid detective, despite his dearest wish to return home and enjoy the reception-seminar-fundraising circuit he feels is his due. Instead, he must bribe, trek and generally suffer his way around a mysterious country capable of completely erasing its recent past almost overnight. Hank’s adventures are in part a searing indictment of some of the worst parts of the overseas aid process and part a very funny satire. There are touches of Evelyn Waugh in some of the characterization and sudden reversals of fortune.

This excellent novel works best in the ways it is able to convey world views. Most dialogue is in fact in the form of delivered monologues and contains a fragmented view of reality that is effective in both describing the eccentricities of life in Africa and the absurdities and self-obsessed buffooneries of many aid agencies. It is clear that the book has been written by someone with close experience of both field and headquarters and the author shows a good ear for speech. His characterization of Jules, noticeable for his mangled proverbs (“Leap before you look!” “Better safe and sorry!”) is particularly good, as are the child soldiers and their chilling use of violence and intimidation. The sense of being in Africa is very apparent. From the year I spent in Sudan, I can certainly recall the randomness of sudden explosions of feeling, the seeming impossibility of the economy and the ridiculous attachments to tiny things of the expatriate workers.

An aid detective is a splendid device for investigating the complexities of the aid process that can seem unfathomable from the outside. These are important issues and any book which helps people to understand them rather than rely on easy generalizations is much to be welcomed. I look forward to more adventures of Hank the aid detective and can recommend this novel to all readers with an interest in the world.